No Hurricanes Here

Katrina is in the headlines, which reminds me to comment on our weather.

The conventional wisdom is that Thailand has three seasons: hot, hotter, and hottest. Using that scale, it’s hotter season here. In Bangkok that means that every few days it dumps buckets of rain for about two hours in the afternoon. Nothing really stops (traffic is always at a standstill anyway); people just open umbrellas and carry on. Afterwards the air feels just a little bit fresher and there’s a nice coolness to the evening.

In between downpours, it’s just humid. Chao told me this story: apparently the ringer on his cell phone stopped working. When he took it in for repair, they told him that he wasn’t alone – dampness affects lots of phones here. The solution? Pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. Now it works fine.

The outside temperature hasn’t varied much at all since we arrived (high-80s, feels more like high-90s). Indoors, we alternate between opening the windows for a cross-breeze, and switching on ceiling fans or air conditioning. Jip’s internal thermostat hasn’t really adjusted to the new surroundings, and so she is constantly asking for adjustments: changing clothes, adding blankets (!) or whatever.

We’re looking forward to “hot” season, which should start in about a month. Meantime, we’ll enjoy the first real thunder and lightning we’ve heard for years.